Pages

Thursday, July 31, 2014

Vatican
City, 31 July 2014 (VIS) – Pope Francis' universal prayer intention
for August is: “That refugees, forced by violence to abandon their
homes, may find a generous welcome and the protection of their
rights”.

His
intention for evangelisation is: “That Christians in Oceania may
joyfully announce the faith to all the people of that region”.

Wednesday, July 30, 2014

An
LGBT activist foundation headed by a former Obama White House staffer
gave a $200,000 grant to a dissenting Catholic coalition to target
the upcoming Synod on the Family and World Youth Day.

The
Michigan-based Arcus Foundation gave the 2014 grant to Dignity USA
“to support pro-LGBT faith advocates to influence and counter the
narrative of the Catholic Church and its ultra-conservative
affiliates.”

“The
effort will build advocacy and visibility in connection with two
special events, the Synod of the Family and World Youth Day,” the
foundation said on its website.

An
extraordinary bishops' synod will meet in Rome this Oct. 5-19 to
address pastoral challenges related to the family. The synod has been
the subject of significant media coverage and speculation.

On
June 26, synod organizers released the synod's preparatory document,
a broad-ranging document which among other topics summarized Catholic
teaching on homosexuality. It discussed the bishops' desire to
consider the pastoral response to homosexuality, to Catholics in
homosexual relationships, and to any children raised under those
unions.

That
same day, Dignity USA president Marianne Duddy-Burke attacked the
document, claiming it showed “a rigid adherence to existing
teaching.” The organization's statement charged that the document
“shows no openness to change in hurtful teachings.”

Dignity
USA has also been active in protests against Archbishop Salvatore
Cordileone of San Francisco's participation in the March for
Marriage, a movement intended to support marriage as a union of one
man and one woman.

The
Arcus Foundation's March 2014 grant announcement said the Dignity USA
funding was for the Equally Blessed Coalition, which includes Dignity
USA, Call To Action, Fortunate Families, and New Ways Ministry.

All
of the groups have a history of promoting the rejection of Catholic
teaching. In 2010 and 2011 New Ways Ministry, which has also received
Arcus Foundation funding, drew a response from leading U.S. bishops
who said the organization does not adhere to Catholic teaching.

Saturday, July 26, 2014

The
world has watched with increasing dismay and horror as the remaining
Iraqi Christian minorities have been forced out of their homes, most
recently in Mosul and the surrounding area, in the latest wave of
persecution and destruction rained down by the Islamic State formerly
known as "ISIS". Houses have been looted and robbed. Graves
and shrines have been demolished. Crosses smashed and removed from
churches.

Elie
Essa Kas Hanna, DHI analyst on Human Dignity and Religious Freedom,
said: "Iraqi
Christians are the original residents of Mesopotamia - descendants of
the ancient Babylonians, Chaldeans, Assyrians and a large number of
Arabs tribes: Mudar, Rabia and Tay etc. Christianity has been present
in Iraq since the First Century AD, when most of the population of
Mesopotamia converted to Christianity, though leaving others to
continue in their traditional beliefs in Judaism, Manichaeism and
Parsee. Today, 2,000 years later, the descendants of these original
Christians are being driven out as though guests in a home whose
welcome they have overstayed - ironically by a religion that didn't
even appear on the scene for another five centuries."

DHI
Chairman Luca Volontè added: "The
whole situation is clearly out of all control. There is tension
between the government and the opposition forces, as well as the
tension that still exists between the central government and the
Kurdistan Regional Government. It is in this space of uncertainty and
mistrust that the Islamic State has moved deftly to occupy a large
part of Iraqi territory that is now almost two-thirds the size of the
Great Britain."

Lord
Alton of Liverpool, who launched the DHI-affiliated Cross-Party
Working Group on Human Dignity in the Palace of Westminster, and one
of the British Parliament's most respected authorities on religious
persecution around the world, said: "In
2003, the Christian presence in Iraq was 1.5 million. After the end
of the Second Gulf War, the Christian presence was reduced to 400,000
people - and most of these lived in the north. Now a staggering 90%
of those Christians who remained have now fled from Mosul to
surrounding areas, especially onto the plains of the Biblical city of
Nineveh, on the border of the Kurdistan region."

Lord
Alton illustrated the current situation with a recent example: "The
DHI notes with alarm the destruction of the Biblical Tomb of Jonah -
which dates from the 8th Century BC - smashed by sledgehammer blows
which have echoed around the world. We can only hope that last week's
rumour of the similar destruction of the tomb of the Prophet Daniel
turns out to be false."

Indicating
the difficulty regarding the authentication of reports that are
emerging from the Islamic State, Lord Alton added: "Also
unverified, the UN and the BBC have reported that ISIS forces in
Mosul have ordered all girls and women to undergo female genital
mutilation. This is an outrage. More than 130 million girls and women
have already been subjected to this barbaric practice worldwide - and
it has to stop. In the Islamic State today we see a historically
recurring meme sadly replaying itself: an orgy of destruction of
culture and heritage sooner or later leads to attacks on human
beings, their freedom and dignity."

Volontè
concluded: "The
DHI believes that Iraqi Christians are a vital part of Iraqi society,
and that they have an irreplaceable role to play in rebuilding
together - with other citizens of goodwill - a future for their
country. The DHI appeals to the international community to do
everything possible to come to the aid of the few Christians left in
Iraq. We add our prayers to those of His Holiness Pope Francis, who
follows the suffering of Christians in Iraq with great closeness."

The
Dignitatis
Humanae Instituteaims
to uphold human dignity based on the anthropological truth that man
is born in the image and likeness of God and therefore has an innate
human dignity of infinite worth to be upheld. The Institute promotes
this understanding by supporting Christians in public life, assisting
them to present effective and coherent responses to increasing
efforts to silence the Christian voice in the public square.

Friday, July 25, 2014

As
regular readers of “Faith of the Fathers” blogs know from a
previous post over a year ago here,
I have cataracts in both eyes.

I
also have no insurance, and my employer does not offer insurance, as
I work for a very small company.

My
eye sight is getting worse. I can tell a big difference since I
posted the previous post referenced above. I especially notice the
difference when driving at night, and even more so if it happens to
also be raining.

I
looked into what my surgery costs would be with 2 different eye
surgeons (opthamologists), and have found out that it will be just
over $4,000.oo per eye, and that this is for just the basic
interocular lens (IOL) that will be used in the surgery. A multifocal
lens replacement would be much more expensive. So basic is the way
for me to go.

Since
I do not have insurance, and no savings at all, I have decided to try
the crowd funding site, GoFundMe. If any readers would like to
contribute, I would be more than appreciative. I would be greatly
appreciative as a matter of fact.

Sunday, July 20, 2014

Iraq's
Christian leaders have just made a desperate cry for help. Patriarch
Louis Raphael I Sako, head of Iraq's Catholic church, has issued an
appeal "to all who have a living conscience in Iraq and all the
world."

The
situation for Iraq's Christians has been steadily deteriorating ever
since the 2003 invasion, in part because the U.S. never acknowledged
that Christians were being targeted by Islamists and did not
prioritize protection of Christians or other minorities.

But
with the recent sweep through Mosul and other Iraqi cities by the
jihadi group ISIS, Iraq's Christians look to be on the verge of
genocide.

Saturday, July 19, 2014

The cozying up between bishops and Obama has got to stop. After you watch the video,click the link below to see the study from the University of Texas El Paso mentioned by Michael Voris in the video. Note that the study is dated March 20, 2014. Well before the current "crisis".

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

Seoul
(AsiaNews) - More than 20 celebrities from South Korea's music and
entertainment industry have come together to create a video clip
(click here
to view) in honor of Pope Francis ahead of his forthcoming apostolic
journey to the nation from August 14 to 18. The initiative, according
to its' promoters, aims to overcome religious differences. The actor
Ahn Sung-ki, one of the organizers of the event, explained that "if
we are united in prayer for others [through the music], this could be
the most beautiful bouquet of flowers that we could present to the
Pope on his arrival".

The
Korea Herald reports that the video titled "Koinonia" is a
celebration of the Pope's visit to South Korea, and derives its name
from the Greek words for friendship and sharing in communion. "So
many people live just for themselves. If more people prayed for
others, the world would be a better place to live," adds the
author and composer Noh Young-sim, during the press conference
launching the music video that was held on July 7 at the Cathedral of
Myeongdong in Seoul, where the Pope will celebrate the final mass of
the trip.

Monday, July 14, 2014

Not much is known about the early life of Giovanni di Ritella, apart from the fact that he was born in the year 1221 in Italy. It is recorded that as a child he suffered from a mysterious ailment but upon praying to St. Francis of Assisi he was miraculously healed.

Perhaps it was this healing that drew the young Giovanni towards the lifestyle and the spirituality of the Franciscans. He joined the Roman Provence of the Franciscans it was around this time that he took the name Bonaventure he was then sent to study and finish his education in Paris. It was also in Paris that he forged a life long friendship with that great saint of the Church, Thomas Aquinas.

Bonaventure was a man of astute intelligence but also had within him that element of charisma that draws people towards himself not from a longing to be popular but because of the warmth he exuded to all he met. This goes towards explaining the title that Bonaventure became known by, that of the 'Seraphic Doctor' because of his kindly but also passionate personality.

For
Egypt's Copts, the military's removal of President Morsi and the
Muslim Brotherhood from power was nothing short of a miracle. After
two and a half years in which Islamists dominated every electoral
contest they faced, there was little if any hope on the horizon.
Since the 25th of January revolution, Coptic despair manifested
itself in an unprecedented wave of emigration from Egypt, which
intensified during the Brotherhood's year in power. Following the
massive demonstrations against the Brotherhood's rule and the
military coup of July 3rd 2013, Copts were in a frenzied mood
celebrating their deliverance; a deliverance that would prove short
lived, however.

The
Copts represent the Middle East's largest Christian population, and
were once one of the pillars of early Christianity, with some of its
early saints framing what it meant to be Christian. However,
centuries of persecution and struggles for survival have left Copts a
small minority in their homeland. Modernity brought new challenges to
the community, though it removed the legal second-class status in
which Copts lived in the Middle Ages. In recent years Copts have come
under increasing pressure due to the discriminatory policies of
successive governments, as well as violent attacks by their fellow
citizens.

Thursday, July 10, 2014

Saint Benedict has become well renowned as the father of the Monastic Rule, even though the spirit of monasticism began in the middle east many years before. Still once the monastic spirit reached Europe most Religious Orders in their infant years began their Charism under the guidance of the Benedictine Rule.

Not much is known about Benedicts early years but many sources site Nursia as the birth place of this great man of the Church. He was born approximately 480 and many believe that his parents may have been financially secure in that Benedict was able to read and would later attend school, which was unusual for the peasantry of that time. Legend also has it that Benedict was the brother to his equally holy twin sister, Scholastica.

Wednesday, July 09, 2014

The
violence in Iraq is hastening the end of nearly 2,000 years of
Christianity there as the few remaining faithful flee Islamic State
militants, archbishops from Baghdad, Mosul and Kirkuk said on
Wednesday.

War
and sectarian conflict have shrunk Iraq's Christian population to
about 400,000 from 1.5 million before the U.S.-led invasion in 2003,
and now even those who stayed are leaving for Turkey, Lebanon and
western Europe, the prelates said on a visit to Brussels seeking
European Union help to protect their flocks.

The
three - Chaldean Catholic Patriarch Louis Raphael Sako, Syrian
Catholic Archbishop of Mosul Yohanna Petros Mouche and Kirkuk's
Chaldean Catholic Archbishop Youssif Mirkis - are all Eastern
Catholics whose churches have their own traditional liturgy but are
loyal to the pope in Rome.

"The
next days will be very bad. If the situation does not change,
Christians will be left with just a symbolic presence in Iraq,"
said Sako, who is based in Baghdad. "If they leave, their
history is finished."

Wednesday, July 02, 2014

THOMAS,
also called Didymus, or the twin, was a fisherman of Galilee. After
having been received among the apostles he accompanied Jesus in all
His journeys, and uniformly showed docility, zeal, and love towards
Him, particularly on the occasion of His going to Bethany to raise
Lazarus from the dead. For when the apostles were afraid to go
thither, because the Jews desired to kill Jesus, Thomas, full of
courage, said, "Let us also go, that we may die with Him"
(John 11:16). His faith, indeed, wavered for a moment in regard to
the resurrection of Christ; but no sooner had Christ satisfied him
thereof by showing His wounds, than he cried out with firm faith, "My
Lord and my God." Saint Gregory thereupon says,

God
overruled the doubting of Thomas to our good, since that very doubt
has profited us more than the ready belief of the other disciples,
inasmuch as thereby Christ was induced to give so much clearer proofs
of His resurrection, in order to confirm us in the belief of it.

The Church in Iraq is on the brink of disappearing into obscurity, according to the country's leading bishop, who says the migration of Christians has shot up.

Chaldean Catholic Patriarch Louis Raphael I Sako of Baghdad described how the rate of Christians leaving Iraq was growing and went on to raise the spectre of Christianity in Iraq coming "to an end".

In an interview with Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need given at the close of a Synod of Chaldean bishops held in Erbil, the capital of Kurdistan, the Patriarch said: "When I was in Turkey recently, 10 Christian families from Mosul arrived.

"And in the space of only one week, 20 families left Alqosh, a completely Christian town not far from Mosul.

"This is very serious. We are losing our community. If Christian life in Iraq comes to an end, this will be a hiatus in our history."

The head of the Chaldean Catholic Church, which is in full communion with Rome, said the future of Iraq's Christians is under threat: "In 10 years there will perhaps be 50,000 Christians left."